How to Lose Belly Fat Quickly – Top 10 Effective Tips

There will always be times in life when we feel bloated and not looking our best; maybe through hormonal problems, sluggish thyroids, or just plain old over eating. But the fact is, when we don’t feel good about ourselves it shows in everything we do, and this unfortunately can sabotage our lives.

Feeling this way signals time for a change, and of course like with everything in modern day life you would like to see results fast. In this post I will give you the top 10 effective tips on how to lose belly fat quickly to give you a fresh lease of life, and the confidence boost you need to live your life to your fullest potential.

Beating the belly bloat:

Maybe you have an event, wedding, or holiday coming up and only have a matter of weeks to get your much desired flatter stomach. You’re wondering if it’s even possible right? Well it totally is, but you will need to be willing to overhaul your diet, AND if possible get some specific belly fat blasting exercises in.

This needn’t be an expensive or time-consuming venture, and you don’t even have to go hungry I promise. I definitely don’t promote dangerous starvation diets, and believe that they do not workin the long run. In fact, they just mess up your metabolism and cause you to quickly gain even more weight than before, weight that you will finder even harder to lose the next time around.

This is often referred to as yoyo dieting, and is not a cycle I recommend you get into. Instead you should relearn some new ways of thinking and eating that will help you naturallychange some of your bad habits forever. This really is the only surefire way that I know of to look and feel great for life.

That’s not even touching on all the otherawesomebenefits of a healthy and fit body, such as lower risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and many cancers – the list goes on, and having this excess belly fat really is a high risk factor for many health problems.

So let’s get to the point: you’ve decided you would like a flatter stomach, and fast; or maybe you would just like to lose a few kilos in general but you definitely don’t want to be miserable and hungry (who does?). This is where you’ll need to apply some or (if you’re really serious) ALL of the 10 steps on this checklist.

Your own determination and compliance will always determine how successful you are in your weight loss efforts, and fortunately, most of these steps are pretty easily and cheaply incorporated into your life with minimum effort. With luck, and if you follow these steps, you should be seeing results in a matter of days.

The goal here is to change life-long bad habits to create new neural pathways in your your brain (really not as complicated as it sounds, and happens naturally). This in turn will make things easier for you to stick to as they will become second nature in your life.

How to Lose Belly Fat Quickly – Top 10 Effective Tips

1. EAT LOW GI, HIGH PROTEIN FOODS

You should switch to low GI foods as much as possible. GI stands for glycemic index and is the rating of a foods carbohydrates and its effects on blood glucose (the lower the GI the better in terms of weight loss).

Eating low GI foods will help keep blood sugar under control, which in turn will help to stop sugar cravings. It is usually those annoying sugar/carb cravings that will ruin your diet efforts, and by sugar I don’t necessarily mean just things that taste sweet – refined carbohydrates such as white flours, bread, and rice are high GI and act the same way as sugar does in the body. This means they will cause a sugar ‘high’, and soon after the inevitable ‘crash’.

This is when you’ll find yourself craving more and more refined carbs and sugary treats to perk yourself back up again. But this is a slippery slope to sugar addiction, and eventually obesity and disease – they don’t say sugar is MORE addictive than cocaine for nothing!

Do this first:-

The first thing to do is to try to get yourself off this sugar train by cutting out, or seriously down, on refined sugars and carbs such as sweets, cakes, confectionery, pastries, and fast foods. Replace these with wholegrains like quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat, amaranth, millet, and oats, plus plenty of pulses, lentils, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables.

Please check out this low GI foods list to find many more foods you can have on your healthy eating plan. Add them as much as possible to your diet in place of other high sugar foods.

2. CUT OUT TRANS FATS

These are the nasty kind of fats found in deep-fried foods, margarines, and fast foods. They are made industrially in a process of adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to turn them solid, and are then used for helping to make food taste better and last longer. But word of warning: they are super hazardous to your health and can raise your blood cholesterol levels; increasing your risk of heart attack, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

These trans fatsalso increase oxidative stress in the body – meaning accelerated aging both on the inside and outside (scary right?). Eating foods high in antioxidants helps to negate this, but cutting out or drastically down on trans fats altogether is the only long term solution to keeping belly fat off.

3. ADD IN HEALTHY FATS

We do most certainly need fats but we need the healthy kind, not just to keep our heart healthy, but to actually boost metabolism. Healthy fats such as those found in olive oil, virgin coconut oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, and oily fish actually help your body to excrete that unwanted stored fat, and more specifically that dangerous belly fat that we loathe so much.

The omega 3 fatty acids found in oily fish orfish oil supplements are especially good for those in training because they help with blood flow to the muscles. This in turn stimulates enzymes into transporting fat to where it is needed, and ready to be used for energy; thus boosting the fat burning process.

4. DRINK APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, LEMON AND CINNAMON

Apple cider vinegar is a great way to help suppress appetite throughout the day. Some studies have shown that it can cause you to eat between 200-275 calories LESS throughout the rest of your day due to its effect on lowering blood sugar.

These results were seen at a 30ml dose per day, which is preferably taken first thing in the morning before breakfast. Adding cinnamon (which is also known for its ability to keep blood sugar stable) will help to squash sugar cravings even more, and also adding lemon juice (which is a liver detoxifyer) will help make it a triple whammy fat burning drink.

You may wish to add a teaspoon of raw honey for sweetness, but make sure it is a good quality raw honey as this is the kind that is known to help mobilise stored fat ready to be used as energy.

5. CUT DOWN ALCOHOL

You may like a glass of red at the end of a long day to help you unwind and I don’t want to poop on that party, but alcohol is very high calorie and needs to be added against your daily intake if you don’t want to gain weight. To make matters worse it also scores zero on every nutritional front.

It’s easy to forget about including drinks into your daily calorie intake (I’m talking about ALL drinks here, including soft drinks, juices, and hot drinks with added milk, cream, and sugar). This is where a lot of hidden and unaccounted for calories and fat may lie, and is something to keep your eye on. For instance:

1 small glass of wine – 150 calories

1 pint of medium strength lager – 180 calories

1 pint of medium strength cider – 210 calories

1 pint of Guinness – 210 calories

Standard 25 ml shot of spirits – 106 calories + extra for mixer

As you can see, just a couple of alcoholic drinks a day that many of us like to indulge in after a hard days work, can cost you over the course of a week up to 2,900 calories alone. That’s 11, 600 calories a month, which is astronomical when you think about it and equates to about 6 days worth of calories going by the average 2,000 calorie a day diet. So to clarify, that’s nearly a weeks worth of calories per month JUST in alcohol!

This is why alcohol really isn’t your friend if you are trying to lose weight; and more bad news – can actually decrease your belly fat burning abilities.

A glass of red win can be healthy!

However, having said all that about how bad most alcoholic beverages can be, it so happens that a small glass of red wine does in fact contain a phenol known as resveratrol. This resveratrol has the ability to interfere with fat synthesis AND can also help stop the body from laying down fat stores; plus it is a powerful antioxidant, and antioxidants are anti aging. Hurrah!

So, moral of the story – if you do crave an alcoholic drink to relax at the end of the day then be sure to make it a glass of red…but just the one!

6. WHITE AND GREEN TEA

White and green tea are both effective metabolism boosters and you should drink in abundance whichever one you prefer, or ideally a mix of both if you want to keep yourself in fat burning mode. Four a day (2 of each) is a good amount for maximum results, and to boost your metabolism. This alone can help you to torch up to 100 calories extra a day, and will help with stomach fat loss specifically.

Green tea contains a unique antioxidant called EGCG, which is believed to be anti inflammatory, heart friendly, and anti cancer. It also contains other catechins that can stoke metabolism by up to 4%, which may not seem much but just think about how this will add up over time – especially if you’re diligent about swapping your normal hot drinks for it.

It also contains NO calories, therefore if you usually have a high calorie latte with sugar as your beverage of choice, then this is yet another huge calorie saving in one simple swap.

White tea seems to be just as much of a superstar as green, though it doesn’t contain the EGCG antioxidant – however it does contain around 3 times MORE polyphenols than green, hence the reason for alternating.

There’s also another exiting titbit – according to a study produced by ‘Nutrition and Metabolism’ white tea can boost fat breakdown and even block the formation of fat cells. So stick that kettle on!

7. SLEEP

Oh sleep wonderful sleep! Most of us don’t get enough of this basic and vital function, but did you know that lack of it can have a devastating effect on your weight? More so for dangerous belly fat – so if ever there was an excuse to get more sleep then this is it.

It’s a fact that 7-9 hours sleep is so crucial to us that we can actually die from chronic lack of it. Not getting enough good quality kip also ups drastically your chances of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and can lead to a decline in cognitive function.

Tiredness triggers sugar cravings:

Lack of sleep makes you more likely to crave sugar and junk foods due to major hormones being thrown out of whack. You are more likely to produce more of the hunger hormone ghrelin, and less of the satiety hormone leptin, both of which will spell disaster for your diet.

And worse still you will be way more prone to giving in to those cravings as tiredness also negatively affects willpower. Plus those extra calories are less likely to be broken down when you’re tired because your digestive system gets lazy and you doesn’t digest food as well as it should. This means all leads to higher than normal blood sugar; and guess what? That high blood sugar encourages fat storage!

To make sure you don’t end up in this vicious cyclemake sure you get your sleep, its as simple as that.

7. CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE

Cardiovascular exercise is basically anything that gets your heart rate up, so running, exercise biking, swimming, squash, power walking, HIIT; the list is endless and you can find fun ways to do it.

Exercise doesn’t have to mean expensive gym memberships as there are myriads of activities you can potentially do for next to nothing, both in the home and outdoors. You will find some fantastic examples in this post ‘The Importance of physical Exercise‘.

At least 3×1 hour sessions of calorie burning cardio per week will help fire up your metabolism and keep you in belly fat burning mode.

Check out this YouTube video if you want some ideas for an at home HIIT workout:

9. WEIGHT BEARING EXERCISE

Weight bearing exercise is very important to fat burning as it builds muscle, and as I’m sure you’ve heard before, muscle burns more calories than fat even when you’re not exercising – just all the time! So keep muscle mass up as much as possible.

Doing stomach toning exercises such as sit ups and planks will also strengthen and ‘pull in’ the muscles that lie below your belly fat, thus giving the illusion of a slimmer stomach.

Hula Hooping – a way to lose belly fat fast at home!

I couldn’t end this section about exercise without mentioning the fastest and most effective belly fat toner I’ve EVER TRIED and tested, which is hula hooping. The caveat is it must be a weighted hula hoop for maximum effectiveness, but this is exercise is seriously effective, and tones your abdominal muscles very quickly.

You can do this anywhere, even in front of the TV, and you only need to do it about 20-30 minutes, 5x per week to see quick results. The adult weighted hula hoop (specifically designed for the job) is a cheap investment and is my number one recommendation for fat burning, along with a variety of the other suggestions already on this list…the more the better.

10. TRACKING

If you want to keep will power and determination up then track your food intake and activities. You can do this so simply and easily now with modern technology – such as apps and fitness trackers, or even the old-fashioned way with hand written charts, or journaling.

Whatever you choose just be sure to do it as it will make all the difference to see some kind of reference to your progression. It will also create accountability, which has been proven to be the most effective way to keep you going when things get tough.

For example, you can leave your food, exercise, body, or weight goals on a chart pinned to the fridge for everybody in your household to keep an eye on. This way when you feel like caving in you will have an incentive to keep going as you’ll have other people to answer to…in the nicest possible way of course.

Whatever you decide to do from this list, be it all or just a few of the suggestions, just be sure to implement them daily. You will be suprised how quickly the little things add up and just how fast your body responds and adapts.

I would love to hear how you get on on your health and fitness journey, and if you would like to leave a comment, or if you need any more advice then please don’t hesitate to drop me a comment below.

Stefanie Taylor

I have studied nutrition for many years, and have since discovered that a plant based diet has been the most beneficial to my health and body. I have more energy and zest for life than I have ever had and this website is dedicated to helping others who wish to know more, and start out on this lifestyle.

Hi Wendy, thanks so much for the compliment. That’s just fantastic that you list all that weight through veggies and healthy fats.
I love to hear great testimonies like this as it reaffirms to me that I’m on the right track with the advice I am giving out.

I especially love to hear about people who have lost weight in a healthy manner, and those who have changed their eating habits and mentality around food for life. This really is the only way for long term health.

vivek
· 24/05/2018 at 11:07 am

These are great tips Stefanie! May I add one of my own? Probiotic foods and yogurt, like greek yogurt or fermented foods like kimchi. They take some getting used to but they’ve provided a lot of relief to me, especially as a means of fighting bloat.

Hi there, yes you’re right and funny enough I was actually going to amend this post and write a list of fat burning foods to it, and probitic foods was one of them! So thanks for reaffirming that I should do that to complete the post.

This is an excellent article as always. I’ll refer to the lack of sleep. Recently I attended a seminar where we were told that in order to achieve more success we should sleep fewer hours because we will have more time to accomplish what we want. That didn’t resonate with me because I noticed that when I’m tired, I’m not so productive and I usually accomplish less in more hours. I also noticed when I’m tired that I start craving junk food and then that kind of food makes me even more tired. I didn’t know that has something to do with hormones, and I didn’t know that lack of sleep has such an impact on belly fat. Thanks for the info. I’ll make sure to get enough sleep regularly and now I have a proper reason for that. Cheers!

Hi Blanka, how bizarre that you got told to sleep less in order to achieve more! Wow, im totally gobsmacked at that advice. I have a little story to tell about sleep. For years I suffered terrible insomnia that destroyed my life and my body, and caused all sorts of things to go haywire with my health. I was like a zombie most of the time through tiredness, and I achieved nothing. I was struggling to even hold down a job through sheer exhaustion. As you can imagine, things came to a head with my health, and even though I was always into healthy eating and exercise, it was a losing battle without sleep. I couldn’t carry on the way things were so I saught help.
18 months on my life has transformed immeasurably. I now sleep as long as I please, and feel so great that I have been able to achieve fantastic things since then, such as put in the work needed to build this website.

I can only give my best to the world when I am well rested, so my advice is to sleep as much as feels right. Your body only wants to sleep when it knows it needs rest, so it should be listened to.

And as for lack of sleep causing belly fat, well it’s totally true. I’m finally starting to get the body I want through sleeping enough. No amount of gym and diet was doing this for me before.

What a great article. It’s obvious to me that a few simple tweaks in our lifestyle can make all the difference when it comes to weight management. I’ve been doing most of the things you advised for years and I seriously couldn’t feel better! Thanks for reinforcing the healthy lifestyle!

Hi Steven, thanks, and yes it is much easier than people think to be healthy and that’s what I try to reinforce in my posts.
It’s great you are already doing a lit if these things and are feeling the benefits. I also try to do most things on the list too, and it makes all the difference in the world to how I feel.

Hi Melinda, yes you’re right, exercising is definitely the best thing. And good for so many other health benefits too! I’m curious about nasal breathing and would love to know how it works? I do some kind of alternate nostril breathing already where you breath deeply whilst blocking one side of the nose, and then out slowly through the other side. This always wakes me up when I feel tired, and really relaxes me if I’m stressed.

I think people underestimate the power of the breath and how important it is to breathe enough oxygen in. I think I will touch on this subject in future posts as it’s so important to health. Thanks for the reminder.

Thanks Nadja, I am glad you have found it helpful. The more you can apply a healthy lifestyle to your life the better you will feel. Good luck, and feel free to message me with any questions and I will be happy to help.

Hello,
I enjoyed reading your post on how to lose belly fat quickly with you healthy and sensible tips, I also have experienced consuming more plant-based foods and less high-sugar grains has made managing my weight so much easier for me.

I found this out out of no choice, I had to eliminate and go cold turkey from grains and dairy. I even experience digestive problems with gluten-free grains which forced me to go on a high plant-based diet.

Great tips for anyone wishing to become healthier and lose some belly fat at the same time
Jeff

Hi Jeff, I’m sorry you have experienced troubles with your diet, but I guess in a way it was a good thing as it has forced you to find a different way to live and eat…and ultimately has led you to greater health.

I too was somewhat ‘forced’ into this lifestyle after suffering from severe depression that totally destroyed my life. I had to find something that would help, and after much research I realised that I had to change my diet for good, and also cut down drastically on sugar and other refined carbs. Doing this, plus lots of physical exercise, literally blasted my depression away for good.

The life changing effects that healthy eating and exercise had on me is what inspired me to create this website in the hope of helping others. I’m glad you enjoyed the post, and keep up your great diet!

Great article Stefanie! You mentioned some very useful tips in this, even I have been tried a few of them and they really worked for me. Such informative articles really remain helpful for people looking for the ways “how to lose belly fat” I will share your post with my community of friends as well. Very well done.

Hi Sarah, I’m glad you found the article informative. I think that it is always best to do more than one thing consistently if you want to keep the stomach fat off. If you do this then you should have room for treats and enjoying your food; it’s all about balance I have learnt over the years. And thanks, i would be really grateful if you were to share my post with your friends and spread the word.

Yes, I believe everything in life is always about balance. Sometimes if you are too strict on yourself then it can cause you to give up entirely. It is far better to follow the 90/10 rule so you have a little room for the treats that you love; and if you are being good 90% of the time then that 10% of teats really isn’t going to hurt much.

This is the rule I have followed for a long time and it works well, though I do understand that some folks are all or nothing types which probably makes life harder for them. And yes, isn’t it good to know you can have the odd glass of vino, and that it can even be healthy? Yay!

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